


At Odds (we'll even out)

by actuallyasweetpotato



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Childhood Friends, Injury, M/M, Superheroes, Villains, be gay do crime, but no superpowers mentioned so feel free to imagine whatever superpower u want- if any at all, i think its on a happy note tho, idk the phrase for this but knowing ur partner like the back of ur hand.. good shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:21:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23602252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/actuallyasweetpotato/pseuds/actuallyasweetpotato
Summary: "Iwa-chan- this is what we went to hero school for.”“What I left for.”“What you left for.” Oikawa agreed. A pause. “What I stayed for.”--After dropping out of hero school, Iwaizumi put everything about it behind him: heroes, years of friendship, Oikawa.But it was hard to ignore the past when it literally knocked on his front door.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 10
Kudos: 43





	At Odds (we'll even out)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again to the hawk-eyed [pancakewars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pancakewars/pseuds/pancakewars) for looking this over! And special thanks to [mobpsycho100](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mobpsycho100/profile) for the inspo and brainstorming! Gmt no sleep crew i love yall, i will watch hxh one day but i will not b persuading by the “sexy” cl*wn 
> 
> This fic includes descriptions of injuries. If you have any questions, please feel free to shoot me a message here on ao3 or [tumblr](https://actuallyasweetpotato.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Hope u enjoy!

What Iwaizumi wasn’t expecting to open his door to was Oikawa.

On a Friday night, a delivery man? Maybe- he usually ordered takeout. The downstairs neighbor telling him to keep it down? Sure- he _was_ pacing anxiously, even more than usual. But Oikawa? They hadn’t talked since their last argument years ago, right before Iwaizumi left the hero industry, turning his back on years of shared support and promises, years of “ _Get some rest, Oikawa, don’t stay up_ ” and “ _Shittykawa, you know you can always count on me._ ” 

Iwaizumi gripped the door handle, ready to grit out strangled words, when his eye caught the almost imperceptible way Oikawa’s fingers trembled when they curled into the hem of his shirt. Pressing his lips together, Iwaizumi studied him closer, reading him like an old novel, all the same beats and words clicking into place. 

Casual clothes, no hero uniform. Off duty? Slow panting. Pale skin. Oikawa swayed slightly on his feet, like he was dizzy. Blood loss? Oikawa’s hand pressed into his side, unmoving. Did he have a wound there? His shoulders hunched, and when Oikawa swallowed, his glazed eyes looked side to side sluggishly. Was he being tailed? 

“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa breathed out between gasps, and Iwaizumi froze. He hadn’t heard that nickname in years. “You said I could always count on you… right?”

Stunned, Iwaizumi nodded. He never thought that Oikawa would remember, much less bank on it.

“...that’s good…” Oikawa mumbled. His head dropped, the tension melting away, but then he lifted it again, straining his head to meet Iwaizumi’s eyes. The familiar vibrance was gone, eyelids sliding shut. “...didn’t know where else to go…”

Oikawa pitched forward, and Iwaizumi startled into motion, catching Oikawa in his arms and heaving his limp body into the apartment, locking the door behind them.

Quickly, Iwaizumi brought Oikawa to the couch, where he stripped him of his shirt, assessing the damage.

Sure enough, a long cut marred Oikawa’s side, along with multiple nasty looking bruises on his ribs. 

Sucking in a breath between his teeth, Iwaizumi jumped up to retrieve his medkit, thoughts racing. 

Was that a knife wound? It sure seemed like it- the edge was smooth and straight, like a blade sliced cleanly through flesh. Why did Oikawa have a knife wound? Had someone really pointed a knife at Oikawa when he was off the job? And why did he pass out? The cut wasn’t deep enough to hit anything vital, and the blood loss wasn’t severe to that extent.

Iwaizumi located his first aid kit- really, it shouldn’t have been that hard, he last used it after a robbery gone wrong on Wednesday- and dashed back to the living room, feet pounding on the floor. The downstairs neighbor could complain all they wanted- that was the least of Iwaizumi’s concerns right now.

With practiced motions, Iwaizumi cleaned the wound, applying some salve and bandaging it up professionally. Well, that was one way hero school had benefited him. That, and providing an ample window into the shithole that was the hero industry. Iwaizumi grabbed an icepack from the fridge, placing it where the bruises looked the worst.

Done with his ministrations, Iwaizumi zipped the kit closed, hauling himself to his feet to return the kit to its proper place in the bathroom. 

Jeez, hero school. Iwaizumi’s skin crawled with the thought of it. Sleazy smiles and pockets lined with bills- the entire business stank of greed. He could still remember the moment it became clear to them, the crushing realization that their shared dream wasn’t what it turned out to be. 

In the end, Iwaizumi had dropped from hero school, citing financial difficulty as the reason (partially true), rather than a conflict of interest (mostly true). 

Iwaizumi put down the kit on the counter with a little more strength than needed. He didn’t want to think about it.

But it was a little hard to ignore the past when it literally knocked on his front door.

Even though they were childhood friends, growing up together on the same street, watching each other’s backs from childhood to young adulthood, Iwaizumi never expected to see Oikawa again- apart from on the news for his latest acts of heroism, and especially after their last fight from years before. 

Yes, Iwaizumi regretted not being able to reconcile, their diverging paths thrusting them into entirely different lives. But he didn’t think they could’ve avoided that fight. Neither of them would have backed down. Iwaizumi still wouldn’t back down.

Sighing, Iwaizumi returned to the couchside. He contemplated pulling a shirt over Oikawa’s torso but ultimately decided against it, laying a spare blanket over him to keep him warm instead. 

Iwaizumi looked over Oikawa’s face, the details painfully familiar. The slope of his nose, curve of his lashes, the returning color in his cheeks. It was weird, seeing these intimate details of Oikawa’s face without the emotional strain that accompanied them every time they’d gotten this close. 

Iwaizumi sighed again. He needed to do something to distract himself, before he got caught up in the past.

Trudging into the kitchen, he set some water to boil. He still had some instant coffee from his last grocery run, though he’d been going out less and less in order to avoid being tracked by authorities. Which brought up the question- how did Oikawa find him here? And did anyone else from the hero task force know?

The sound of water boiling broke him out of his thoughts, and Iwaizumi shut the power off, retrieving a nearly empty jar of instant coffee and a flimsy spoon from a nearby drawer. He quickly measured out a spoonful of powder and mixed it into a mug, spoon clinking around the sides and coffee aroma rising pleasantly.

The bitter smell reminded him of sweeter days, where the only thing he would worry about was if he could turn in an assignment on time and still get enough sleep, where the only arguments he and Oikawa had were about how all Iwaizumi would drink was black instant coffee, and Oikawa downed coffee sweeter than life itself at the speed of light.

God, how Oikawa would complain whenever Iwaizumi made it, saying how he could just _ask_ Oikawa for a cup of fresh brewed coffee, with any sweetener or creamer- hell, even latte art if he wanted. Iwaizumi would nod along, pointedly draining the rest of his coffee, smiling discreetly into his mug as Oikawa’s voice crescendoed and he looked like he was on the brink of tearing his hair out. 

But at the end of the day, Iwaizumi knew that they just wanted the best for each other. They both did, and in the end that was what drove them apart.

Placing the empty mug into the sink, Iwaizumi rubbed at his temples. He might have a headache because of the memories, but that was nothing compared to the living, breathing, headache of a memory laying on his couch right now.

Why did Iwaizumi care? Why did he agree to let Oikawa in? Sure, there might be some lingering feelings of obligation, but currently, they had no obligation towards each other, and even worse, Iwaizumi’s line of work was-

“...you still drink that shit?” 

Iwaizumi’s head whipped around. The voice was weak, but undoubtedly there, familiar as the warmth of his drink. And of _course_ the first thing Oikawa would do upon waking is complain about Iwaizumi’s coffee choice.

Brown eyes stared back at him, unblinking.

Iwaizumi blinked, pushing down the strange cocktail of emotions bubbling up- worry, concern, exasperation, relief, fear- _After all this time, are we okay? Are_ you _okay?_

Before anything, though, Iwaizumi needed an explanation. He headed to the couch and plopped down heavily on the floor next to it. “Well?”

“Well.” Oikawa’s head turned back to the ceiling, staring off into space. Avoiding eye contact. Typical Oikawa deflecting behaviour. 

With all the training that hero school gave, Oikawa should know by now how to hide his feelings better. Or maybe they’d just known each other for that long?

“Welllllll,” Oikawa drawled out, a bit weaker than usual. His fingers began to move together, but flinched and stilled. “I thought you would’ve found a nicer apartment than this. Did you know that the downstairs neighbor has scary good hearing? Though, I’ll admit, it’s a nice distance from the train station- easy to get around.”

“Get to the point, Shittykawa.” The nickname slipped from his tongue before he could stop it, and they both froze. 

It was Oikawa who snapped out of it first, laughing shakily. He wore the same expression as when he relayed the information to Iwaizumi, whispering the truth of the whole hero business to him, how deep the corruption ran, possessing heroes to commit atrocities- taking bribes to turn a blind eye, working hand in hand with villain organizations to generate more crime, more revenue. “Can never fool you, huh, Iwa-chan? Not back in school, and not even now.” 

Iwaizumi stayed silent. How could he have been fooled by Oikawa’s shaking fingers and pinched smile? If he were, then that’d be an insult to their shared years.

Oikawa shut his eyes, smiling the same fake smile, oblivious to Iwaizumi’s sinking stomach. “They found me out. Like how we found out about them. They know I know about them.” 

Gritting his teeth, Iwaizumi bit down on his words. There were so many things he wanted to say- _I thought you said you’d be careful, I told you so, If you just listened-_ but he held it all back, settling for, “The same group we found out in hero school?” 

His lips still bent in the caricature of a smile, Oikawa nodded.

Iwaizumi breathed out a quiet curse. This was Iwaizumi’s worst fear realized- Oikawa’s position as a hero compromised, and by extension, their families’ safety compromised, with no one to turn to but themselves for help. 

“They caught me by surprise- I wasn’t expecting to get attacked while off duty, and by two of them no less. And armed!” Oikawa barked out a short laugh, and it rang with triumphant notes that Iwaizumi knew well, tinged with a bit of hysteria. “I managed to take one of them out, but they got me good. I should’ve known that they'd put something sneaky like a sedative on their blade. Should’ve been more careful.”

“Oikawa.” Iwaizumi rubbed a hand over his face. “This is exactly what I was afraid of- now our families are in danger! _We’re_ in danger! Did anyone follow you here? How much time do we have?”

Oikawa hummed thoughtfully, eyes roaming aimlessly on the cracked ceiling. “Hmm, it took me a bit to get here, so I’m guessing an hour at least? I was pursued by lackeys from a villain group, but this area is supposed to be criminal-free, so they can’t just be roaming the streets looking for me. They’ll have to summon heroes to do that.” His head twisted to stare at Iwaizumi. “When I said you had a good location, I wasn’t just talking about the train station. It took me a while to find this place.”

Iwaizumi gulped. Oikawa was spot on with why he had chosen this place as his current hideout. “Still, they might’ve tracked you here. If you’re right about the time, we should probably pack, just in case.” 

Heaving himself to his feet, Iwaizumi began organizing, digging out two backpacks: one already packed and the other empty. Oikawa made moves to follow him, wincing as he tried to sit up, but Iwaizumi stared him down until he settled back onto the couch, a look of resignation on his face. 

Opening cupboards and drawers, Iwaizumi grabbed the essentials, shoving them into the bag. “How did you find me anyway?” 

Oikawa’s voice answered, almost jauntily. “You think I wouldn't keep tabs on my ex-best friend, and this city’s most infamous villain, do you?” 

Iwaizumi’s hand stilled. But the words came, deceptively calm. “I didn't know you knew that.” _Because I didn’t tell you. Because you were well on your path towards becoming a proper hero and I didn’t want to make you choose. And by then, you had already chosen._

Even after all this time, Iwaizumi couldn’t wrap his head around it. He was a villain, by all meanings of the term, breaking multiple facets of the law, running from authorities more times than he could count. Iwaizumi had become exactly the opposite of what he strived for, trampling his childhood dreams into the dirt like hero school did. 

Oikawa continued. “The crimes of a certain villain looked like your work- taking out villains that were conspiring with heroes, not contacting us heroes to offer bribes- even that bank robbery last Wednesday, the funds were redirected to local shelters- this is what we went to hero school for.”

“What I left for.” 

“What you left for.” Oikawa agreed. A pause. “What I stayed for.”

Iwaizumi clenched his jaw, squeezing his eyes shut. “We are _not_ starting this again.”

Oikawa pressed on, ignoring Iwaizumi’s refusal. “Why didn’t you stay? I was so _close_ to taking them down. If you had stayed- With us watching each other’s backs, I bet we could’ve done it.”

“And then what? If we took them down, then what?! You know how far their influence goes- you’d just leave our families at risk like that?”

“I _know_ how far their influence goes- I’ve joined them to try to take them down from the inside.”

“You- I-” Iwaizumi whirled around to face Oikawa, clenching his fist and resisting the urge to punch _something_ \- the wall, the door, Oikawa’s _stupid_ face- “Our families’ safety wasn’t something to risk! My parents’ lives! Your parents’! Your sister’s! Takeru’s! They aren’t gambling pieces!”

Oikawa flinched at that, and Iwaizumi felt a sick sense of satisfaction at the impact his words left. But Oikawa regained his composure, lowering his eyebrows and meeting Iwaizumi head on. “They aren’t. And that’s why I did it.”

Iwaizumi turned back to packing, not wanting to spare any more energy fighting. “I don’t understand you.” But he did. Painfully so- it could’ve easily been him the hero, fighting alone in the lion’s den, showing up desperate and wounded at the door of an estranged friend, a villain.

Oikawa sniffed. “You do.”

They sank into a moody silence, only broken by the sounds of rustling fabric and the slamming of closet doors.

Unsurprisingly, it was Oikawa who broke the silence first, filling the space with a loud sigh. “Well, you were right in the end, I guess. I tried. I failed.”

“Oikawa, you know that wasn’t what I meant by leaving. I left because the risk was too big. It wasn’t fair to everyone to put them in danger when they didn’t sign up for it. Leaving, though, and taking up the mantle of a villain-” Iwaizumi roughly zipped up the bag, stalking back to Oikawa. “That only puts yourself at risk, and that’s something I’m willing to do.” 

Oikawa watched him draw nearer, eyes trained on him, steadfast, as if searching for something. “What was that saying again? _Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer_.”

“You sure kept your enemies close. But did you keep your friends close, too?”

“Why, did you keep tabs on me, too?” Deflecting again. Must be a no, then. “Are you my mom?”

Iwaizumi ignored the second part, the elementary insult ringing in his ears with the same delivery, different voice. “I’m a villain, Oikawa. It’s kind of my job to keep tabs on heroes and their activities.” Iwaizumi plopped down the backpack next to the couch and stared back down at Oikawa, scowling. “But more than that, I know you.” The tired look in Oikawa’s eyes said enough, the eyebags reminiscent of days in school he spent buried in his work, only resurfacing to inhale some coffee or a quick snack.

Oikawa sighed, his eyelids sliding shut. “Okay. The past is in the past, I know. Now what? The hero agency’s going to come here, and I’m going to get caught. You can turn me in and maintain a clean record. Except the whole villain thing. But you’ve been doing pretty well, people in the agency are scratching their heads over where you’re gonna strike next-”

“I have two bags packed.” 

Brown eyes opened to survey the bags. “Thanks? I’ll do my best to run, but…” The realization clicked, and Oikawa’s mouth dropped open in a silent _oh_. “Iwa-chan, are you…?”

“C’mon.” Iwaizumi held out his hand and pulled Oikawa into a sitting position. “If your estimation’s right, then we should be out of here just in the nick of time.”

Nodding, Oikawa looked over his bag, unzipping and peering inside. “You packed light?”

Iwaizumi slung his backpack over his shoulder, tightening the straps. “I have other hideouts.”

“Ohhh, that makes sense.” Oikawa stood up and stretched, eyes screwing up in the tiniest of winces.

Frowning, Iwaizumi gave Oikawa another once-over. “How’re your injuries?”

“They’re fine. Sting a bit, though.”

“And your knee?”

“Fine. I’ll manage.”

“If you say so,” Iwazumi shrugged. “Don’t fall behind, ‘cuz I’ve lost heroes on my tail before and it could happen again tonight.”

Grinning, Oikawa flashed his teeth. “Is that a challenge, Iwa-chan? Are you gonna leave me in the dust?”

Iwaizumi snorted. “Let’s hope not. Anyway, the hideout is near-”

A loud banging at the front door made them both jump, and they crouched instinctively.

Iwaizumi turned his head to glare at Oikawa. _I thought you said we had time?!_

Oikawa scratched his head, lips quirking up into a sheepish smile. _Whoops?_

“Hero agency! Open up!”

Iwaizumi jerked his head in the direction of a window, and they slid it open, slipping out one after the other and scaling down the side of the apartment building stealthily, leaving the booming commands behind them.

The minute Oikawa’s feet touched the ground, he took off to the right.

“Wrong _way_ , Shittykawa,” Iwaizumi hissed out, grabbing Oikawa’s hand and pulling him along. Their feet pounded onto the ground, and they weaved in and out of thick crowds and thin alleyways. “Aren’t you worried about screwing up?”

“Nope, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa laughed, and it was the best thing Iwaizumi heard in years, better than the shouts to stop resisting arrest, better than the sirens wailing after them. Oikawa’s fingers tightened around Iwaizumi’s, not letting go. “All of a sudden, I feel invincible.”

**Author's Note:**

> Some of yall might find the beginning of this fic a lil familiar, cuz it was inspired by this [popular tumblr prompt](https://one-lonely-whumperfly.tumblr.com/post/179549370724/the-hero-shows-up-at-the-villains-doorstep-one). I remember seeing it years ago, being like oh wow i wish someone would use this prompt so i could read it... and then i saw it again recently, was like hold up…. _I_ can use it :0 and here we are
> 
> linky dinks → [other works](https://archiveofourown.org/users/actuallyasweetpotato/works) | [bookmarks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/actuallyasweetpotato/bookmarks) | [tumblr](https://actuallyasweetpotato.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Gays, crime responsibly!


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